When I was growing up, I remember having my grandparents around the house living with us. I always had someone taking care of me, I didn’t have to bother about household chores since my grandparents always did it themselves. It was all good until one day my parents decided that we needed to move and that my grandparents would no longer be living with us. It was a big change for me as it meant more freedom, but also a huge responsibility.

At first it was all fun and games as no one was there to monitor my actions. I had the house at my disposal and I could watch television all day long without being nagged to do my homework. I used to call my friends over to play on the Nintendo and it would last just about till the time my parents came home. It also got me more allowance then before since I didn’t have any one around me all the time. This was only temporary, my grades dropped and I realized that I needed to get my act straightened. This really was good for me as I understood how to do things by myself, I became more responsible. I not only had to take care of my grades, but was also in charge of making sure that the house wasn’t in a mess.

This also helped me transition into college life and being more independent. It became easier for me to move into my residence halls where I had keep my room clean, do my laundry, cook some times and be on good terms with your roomate.

Sometimes I hear my friends complain about being thrown into adulthood their freshmen year of college and I think about how much easier it was for me. Being independent at an early age helped to know my strengths and weaknesses. As a result I can handle my own finances and also understand the value of a lot of things.